Spyder - any good ?

[Amamba]

I currently have a ViewSonic CRT monitor and will be upgrading to an LCD monitor some time in future.

It drives me nuts when a photo that looked great at night looks all washed out during the day and I'm not sure when it looked accurate to how it would appear on other people's monitors or in print.

I want to get a monitor calibrator but can't justify spending over $80 or so, since I barely ever print. Spyder2 seems to fit the bill, however I read conflicting things about its usefulness.

Main questions that I have:

1) How accurate is it. I don't expect absolute accuracy but don't want to spend money on a hit or miss thing.

2) Do I have to recalibrate for different lighting conditions (e.g. at night with a lamp vs bright sunny day). Can I save different color profiles for these conditions ? Is there an easy way to switch between profiles in XP without having to reboot every time ?

3) I heard it's not very useful for LCD screens - is this true ?
Thanks !

[Sports_Dude]

I use the Spyder2 with my LCD screen and like it alot. I'm no professional, but my prints turn out pretty close to the proof on the monitor. I've never used any other calibration systems, so I can tell you if it is better or worse than the competitors.

[ekie]

id recommend the x-rite idisplay2 if you can afford. i did use a spyder2express previously and like you, i got that initially due to its cost. if you wanna go that route, i still mines that i can sell for cheap. shoot me a PM.

[Amamba]

Thanks for replies !

ekk_xt, what is the difference between Spyder and XRite (other than $60) ?

[neil_r]

I had a problem with my Spyder II in that it was fine on my Apple Cinema Display and Mac Book Pro but would not calibrate my 24" Dell. I now have a Spyder III and it is fine on all my monitors.

[ekie]

Thanks for replies !

ekk_xt, what is the difference between Spyder and XRite (other than $60) ?

depending on which spyder youre referring to, it cost a bit less than the xrite. the Xrite I have cost about $200 while the spyder2express cost $60. spyder2 pro cost about $160 though.

you can check out reviews here of different calibrators:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews.htm

[Amamba]

What do you think about this one ?

X-Rite Eye-One Display LT

[ben_r_]

I use the spider2pro on my Samsung 305T LCD and love the results it produced. The software is a little cheesy, but it seems to work.

[Tareq]

I use Spyder3, great job for me.

[jdizzle]

I use the X-rite Eye one display 2. No problems.

[Mr.TP]

Spyder 3 might solve your ambient lighting problem. Spyder 2 don't detect external light but spyder 3 can. And calibrate quicker.

[ooo]

If you dont want to spend over $80, you should look into the huey pro. When I was doing research back in day on a calibrator. It seemed that the spyder wasn't as reliable. Well spyder 2 anyways.

[Wendelius]

I use the Spyder 3 (upgraded from my Spyder 2 which couldn't cope with my new Dell 2408WFP monitor extended gamut) and am very happy with it. It's indeed a bit faster than the Spyder 2 and seems to produce nice results.

Although I don't know whether this is part of getting used to the new S-PVA panel but the colours seem a bit "too rich" right now. So might need to tweak the calibration or just do comparisons with a TN panel also calibrated with the Spyder.

Still, the Spyder itself is a very nice device.

Wendelius

[ben_r_]

Is the software with the Spyder3 better and/or improved from the Spyder2? Also is it the same as with the 2 as far being the same hardware with just different software "versions" between Express, Pro, Elite, etc.?

[Tareq]

Is the software with the Spyder3 better and/or improved from the Spyder2? Also is it the same as with the 2 as far being the same hardware with just different software "versions" between Express, Pro, Elite, etc.?

Just few things to read about Spyder 2 and 3

http://spyder.datacolor.com/s3compare2.php

[Galaxy99]

I use Spyder 2. It worked and that all I want.

[ben_r_]

The Spyder3 has pretty low reviews on Amazon... Im thinking Ill be sticking with my Spyder2 for a while longer.